The short putt is missed.
Don’t give up hope, even if it’s the most upsetting and embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made in golf. Making short putts is one of the most effective strategies to lower your score.
If you do the right things, you can also improve your short putting. How to use:
Align the face of the putter carefully
If you want to make short putts, where you aim your putter face is critical because the ball will travel where your putter face is aimed for contact. Yes, your path has an impact, but the putter face rules.
You’ll notice it in top players’ pre-putt routines: after their practice shots, they take a moment to target the putter’s face before relaxing their grip and position.
Get a handle on things
How you hold your hands on the grip of your putter can affect how stable the club is and how well you can produce a square face at impact.
You have many options when it comes to how to grip a putter. I’d recommend using whatever makes you feel most coordinated, and if you’re looking for something simple, look at the grip design for inspiration. Most handles have a flat top. Place your thumbs on the flat part of the club, and because it’s more upright than your other clubs, it’s designed to be held more in the palms, reducing wrist movement.
Maintain good posture
A natural path for your arms to swing is created by good posture, which means bending forward from your hips and letting your arms hang below your shoulders. You can do this without using your putter: Let your arms flow naturally as you bend forward from your hips and clap your hands together.
The width of your stance can vary based on personal preference, but it should be roughly equal to the width of your hips.
Iron and then examine
Once you’ve got a nice square clubface, you want to keep your body as still as possible while swinging your arms. Because so many of us are results-oriented, the task seems simple but can be difficult. We can’t help but see if the putt goes in the right direction.
When you watch the best putters putt, you see how stable their lower body and head are as they stroke. Keep your head down long enough to see the putter make contact with the back of the ball. Allow the stroke to be utterly complete before looking up.
You have a circular stroke.
Every putt has a certain arc. It can be hard to see on short putts, but we know it’s there because of current technology and our ability to measure these things.
This natural curved route will roll the ball from the start if your armpits are kept tight to your torso and your putter head stays low to the ground and through.
Your arms will tend to detach from your torso if you incorrectly try to swing the putter straight back and straight through.
Keep your backstroke to a minimum.
Your backstroke controls the distance of your putts. You need a short backstroke when you have a short putt. Shorter strokes naturally produce less power if you swing your putter back the correct length for the putt. If your backstroke is too long, your body will try to slow down and put the brakes on. This is not easy to time consistently and can make your putter face less stable.
Keep moving parts to a minimum.
When it comes to short putts, accuracy is more important than power. The main thing is that the ball starts on the right line: the fewer moving parts, the better in this case.
Your efficiency can be harmed by too much movement in the lower body. Rocking back and forth is a common cause I observe; during your stroke you should feel that your feet are firmly planted on the ground.
Examine every putt
On every short putt, take the time to read the break. I often see golfers accelerate and hit their short putts without thinking, assuming every putt is straight, but they miss a critical step. To find the high spot, walk in a semi-circle around the hole or check a green book.
You don’t need to play the putt too far outside the hole, but on a right-to-left breaking putt, aiming for the left edge can make a big difference.
Take the challenge seriously.
A positive mindset benefits all aspects of life, even short putts. When things don’t go as planned, remember that you’re just having fun, but give every short putt your full attention. You may as well pick up your ball if you are unwilling to do so.
Don’t think of these short putts as putts you “should” make. See them as putts that must be earned. To achieve that, you have to respect and focus on the challenge they bring.